Lunar New Year Festival

Worship during the New Year festival

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, after the ritual of cleaning incense burner and ancestral altar (lễ bao sái), every family will hold the ceremony to see off the Gods of Kitchen to the Heaven. They prepare a tray of five fruits (mâm ngũ quả), jams, candies and cakes and place all of these offerings on the ancestral altar. In the afternoon of the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, there is the year-end worshipping ceremony (lễ cúng tất niên) to inform ancestors that the old year is over. At night of the same day, each and every family performs the New Year’s Eve ceremony (lễ trừ tịch) in order to say goodbye to the Tutelary God of the Old Year and welcome the God of the New Year. In the first morning of the New Year, another worshipping ritual is carried (cúng nguyên đán). In the afternoon of the first day and on the second day, every household holds the morning and afternoon worshipping ceremonies (lễ chiêu điện and tịch điện). On the third day, most of families usually perform a kind of thanksgiving ceremony in which votive paper is burnt (lễ cúng tạ hóa vàng). The practice of worship during the Lunar New Year festival demonstrates Vietnamese people’s gratitude to their ancestors.

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Cuisine for the New Year festival

Cuisine of Vietnamese people for the New Year festival is a crystallization of abundant and specific dishes. A traditional banquet must have square sticky rice cakes (bánh chưng), round sticky rice cakes (bánh dày), cylindrical sticky rice cakes (bánh tét), steamed momordica glutinous rice (xôi gấc), chicken, grilled pork rolls (nem), lean pork paste-sausage (giò lụa), fried pork sausage (giò xào), frozen pork (thịt đông), salted onion, and soup of bamboo sprout and pig skin. During the New Year festival, people also enjoy different kinds of jam made of ginger, coconut, kumquat, and lotus seed, together with pumpkin seeds, gourd seeds, and peanut candies. In the past, the New Year festival was the occasion when people throughout the country donated their local specialties to the king, especially phục linh cakes (made of tapioca and coconut milk), lotus/chrysanthemum liquor.

New Year’s greetings and lucky money

The Lunar New Year festival is the occasion of family reunion. In the first morning, husbands and wives, children, siblings will pay visit and congratulate their parents, grandparents and relatives of the paternal family; the second day is spent for the maternal family; and the third day for teachers. This is also the occasion for children to wish their parents and grandparents good health. In their turn, grandparents and parents give lucky money (tiền lì xì, mừng tuổi) kept in red envelops to their young children, hoping that the latter are always healthy, obedient and study well. The practice of saying New Year’s greetings and giving luck money show people’s filial duty, respect, and love.

Starting a New Year handwriting (Khai bút)

Starting a New Year handwriting (khai bút) is a cultural tradition reflecting Vietnamese people’s fondness of learning. At the royal court, the King started his New Year writing on dragon paper in order to pray for good weather and happiness for all of his subjects, dignify courtiers’ loyalty, and admonish himself. In the society, Confucian scholars and students, in neat costumes, burned incense sticks at their desk and wrote some essay on flowery or red paper with a new pen-brushand good ink. Each of them tried to sincerely write down sentences and words that convey their good expectations in the New Year; and they believed that with good handwriting, everything would be successful all the year.

Asking for and giving handwritings in the New Year

The custom of asking for and giving handwritings (xin chữ, cho chữ) at the beginning of the New Year symbolizes the tradition of respecting teachers and fondness of learning. People usually asked for handwritings from honest mandarins, scholars, and teachers who were famous for their talent, righteousness, good knowledge, and good handwriting. The person who asked for handwriting not only wanted to get the characters of their aspiration but also hoped to be able to share the blessing and talent of the people who gave handwriting. Depending on his age andsituation, a person would ask for a different character each year. A student often asked for such characters as Tuệ (Wisdom), Trí (Intelligence), Tài (Talent); young people wanted Danh (Fame), Duyên (Love); merchants expect Vượng (Wealth), Thịnh (Prosperity), Lộc (Fortune).

Spring sightseeing

For a long time, spring sightseeing has becomea popular activity of Vietnamese people. Formerly, kings and their courtiers usually organized spring sightseeing tours in the early days of the New Year to pray for peace and happiness; the king, wearing dragon tunic, went first, followed by his officials and mandarins. Nowadays, after paying visits to their relatives, many families will go to the sites of beauty, attend spring festivals or visit Buddhist pagodas.Spring sightseeing takes place in a joyful ambiance, full of spring vitality.

Spring folk games

During the New Year festival, folk games are indispensable, especially swinging, playing chess, tug-of-war, and smashing earthen pots. Through these funny and interesting folk games, a useful playground for children is formed, enriching their life skills and helping them to better understand and appreciate the nation’s cultural traditions and values. In recent years, the Heritage Site of the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel has become a favourite destination of young children.